After a series of attacks on US bases in Syria and Iraq, the US responded with precision strikes. Tensions in the region are increasing.
Baghdad – The USA On Wednesday (November 21st) they said they carried out air strikes on two locations in Iraq south of the capital Baghdad. The “precision strikes” with combat aircraft were “in direct response to the recent attacks by the Iran and groups supported by Iran on US and coalition forces,” said the US military command Centcom on the online service X, formerly Twitter. A Centcom representative confirmed the information to the news agency AFP.
In recent weeks, dozens of US soldiers have been injured in a series of attacks on US military bases in Syria and Iraq. In Syria There are around 900 US soldiers stationed and a further 2,500 in Iraq. They are intended to help prevent the Islamic State (IS) jihadist militia from resurgent.
US attacks positions of pro-Iranian groups in Syria
According to the US Department of Defense, there have been a total of 66 such attacks since the radical Islamic Hamas attack on Israel – 32 in Iraq and 34 in Syria. In Syria, the US military has already responded with attacks in the east of the country.
A group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which the US government says is linked to Iran, claimed responsibility for most of the attacks. In response, the USA repeatedly attacked positions of pro-Iranian groups in Syria.
US attacks convoy of pro-Iranian groups in Iraq
An airstrike on a vehicle belonging to a pro-Iranian armed group took place near Baghdad on Tuesday, according to two security service sources AFP announced – before the US declared that it was behind the attacks, which had caused “several deaths”.
According to pro-Iranian fighters, one person was killed and three others injured in the drone attack on a highway 30 kilometers west of Baghdad. Initially no one claimed responsibility for the attack. When asked about the incident, a US military official said soldiers acted “in self-defense” against the “perpetrators of the attack.”
According to the Pentagon, an air base belonging to the US-led international anti-IS coalition in the desert of western Anbar province had previously been attacked. US soldiers were slightly injured and infrastructure was destroyed. According to Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh, it is the first time that US troops have been attacked with a short-range ballistic missile since the increased attacks began on October 17.
Security situation in the Middle East tense
The security situation in the entire region is tense because of the Gaza war, which began with Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7th. The troops of the USA – Israel’s most important ally – are also in the sights of pro-Iranian militias. Iran wants to use them to create an “axis of resistance” against Israel.
Iran and the USA have repeatedly been on the brink of war. In January 2020, the US killed powerful Iranian general Ghassem Soleimani and Kataib Hezbollah leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a drone strike in Baghdad. Weeks of military tension followed. (skr/afp/dpa)
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